ASHLEY KAYS

• Led efforts to enhance the user experience for students, faculty, and staff, ensuring accessibility, usability, and engagement across digital platforms
• Implemented user experience optimizations that led to a 35% reduction in average task completion time on the platform
• Drove a 32% increase in student applicants.
• Achieved a 44% increase in conversion rates.
• Fostered collaboration between teams to harmonize UX, engineering, marketing, and product dev.
• Led team in developing and executing a strategic UX and product vision aligned with the university's mission, significantly improving student satisfaction
• Championed user-centered design principles, consistently delivering intuitive digital experiences through feedback and usability testing
• Utilized data analytics and user research insights to optimize user journeys and guide continuous improvement

• Developed and executed a visionary product strategy that aligned with the company's mission.
• Led cross-functional teams leveraging user-centered design principles, leading the team in creating intuitive and engaging AI solutions.
• Developed new revenue streams by identifying growth opportunities and forging strategic partnerships with key industry players.
• implemented marketing, product and sales strategies, expanding the reach of products and services driving a substantial increase in revenue and company profitability .
• Championed data-driven decision-making across all levels of the organization, leading to better business outcomes.
• Launched new products or services in various markets by conducting comprehensive market research studies and tailoring offerings based on customer needs analysis.
• Directed and mentored a high-performing team of product managers, UX designers, engineers and marketers.

• Leveraged extensive industry experience to provide instruction on Service Design, Product Design, UX/UI with real-world application
• Conducted comprehensive market research to identify trends and inform strategic course content decisions.
• Enhanced student understanding of ux design principles by incorporating hands-on projects and real-world examples into lessons.
• Organized guest lectures from industry professionals, exposing students to various aspects of the product design field and expanding their career opportunities.

Conducted thorough needs assessments for targeted learner populations, informing the design of customized learning solutions.

• Optimized learner retention and application through the integration of effective instructional strategies and assessment techniques.
• Streamlined content delivery by leveraging cutting-edge e-learning platforms and tools, enhancing accessibility for remote learners.
• Evaluated learning program effectiveness using robust data analytics, driving continuous improvement efforts in curriculum design.
• Developed roadmap for bootcamp products using quantitative data from historical metrics, qualitative data from user research, customer feedback, market trends, competitive analysis, CSAT, NPS and more.
• Defined backlog and delivered products using Agile Scrum.
  Deliver best-in-class experiences to meet persona & revenue goals.
• Technical role that leverages skills in Product Management, Strategy, Development, UI/UX, Data Engineering, and Leadership.

• Led cross-functional teams of Product Managers, UX Designers, Visual Designers, Marketers, and Front-End Engineers to drive innovation and excellence in product development
• Responsible for Agency, Product UX, Design and Marketing
• Generated agency revenue with Client Engagement, Sales, Strategy, Scoping, experience strategy and development
• Led market research, competitive analysis, go-to-market, client acquisition, conversion and retention strategies
• Delivered client products for various industries from fintech, medical, education, retail, transportation ecom, social, gaming, etc
• Defined strategies for personalization, contextual, interest engines, sentiment analysis, NLP, monetization strategies, email marketing, campaign management etc
• Cultivated strong collaborations across departments to influence initiatives, project direction, product strategy, and overall growth
• Created comprehensive courses in areas such as UX, Product Management, E-commerce, Ruby on Rails, AI, AI for User Experience, and Design Thinking
• Utilized Design Thinking, Market Research, Competitive Analysis, UX Research, Content Strategy, behavioral analysis, patterns, Usability testing, and KPIs to validate assumptions and drive user satisfaction
• Defined and executed Funnel Strategy, Marketing Automation, SEO, SEM, PPC, social marketing, and leveraged out-of-the-box creativity to achieve remarkable results.
• Led the strategic planning process to define business goals and ensure alignment across all departments.
• Drove revenue growth by launching new products and services that met customer demands.
• Developed key operational initiatives to drive and maintain substantial business growth.

• Managed multifaceted products, partnerships, and pipelines between product, UX, development, and clients
• Led the transition from customized solutions to a standardized, cloud-based platform
• Rejuvenated a critical $25M partnership with Wells Fargo and facilitated over $50M in annual productivity improvements
• Led a pivotal 'Bank of the Future Transformation' project for National Bank of Canada
• Spearheaded the creative strategy and vision of multiple products and projects
• Managed P&L, resources, schedules, vendors, and budgets.

• As COO of Thoughts.com I was responsible for managing the team and projects. Thoughts was a startup organization requiring a lot of hands-on management and effort. This provided the opportunity to serve as an individual contributor in addition to leadership responsibilities, requiring extensive team and project management, Discovery, UI/UX, Development, Testing, and release management. I was involved in creating a multitude of sites and managed a portfolio of more than 1200 sites. I worked extensively with UI, UX, and Ruby on Rails Development for Thoughts.com.
• Instituted best practice development processes and metrics to help the team align and implement initiatives. Worked with every team member to understand their role, define career and team goals, and align to new processes for improved delivery, team synergy and communication.
• Streamlined operations by implementing efficient processes and systems, leading to increased productivity and cost savings.
• Drove revenue growth with the successful launch of new products and services to meet customer needs.
• Championed continuous improvement initiatives, fostering a culture of innovation within the organization.
• Oversaw day-to-day operations across multiple departments, ensuring timely delivery of projects and streamlined workflows.
• Established key performance indicators for each department to track progress towards organizational goals effectively.
• Promoted a positive corporate culture by implementing employee engagement programs that recognized achievement and fostered collaboration among teams.
• Enhanced user experience by conducting thorough usability testing and implementing improvements based on feedback.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure consistent and seamless user experiences across multiple platforms.
• Mentored junior designers, providing guidance and support for their professional growth.
• Championed a user-centered design approach, leading to higher customer satisfaction scores.
  

Sunshine Novelty
This division was a super affiliate and we had several sites in the top 5 for the most competitive search terms on the internet.
Managed SEO Activities, Provided Training, Crafted Conversion and Optimization Strategies, SEO, Content and Social Strategies, design and execution. Generated 1.5 Million a month in profit.

• Boosted website traffic by optimizing on-page and off-page SEO factors.
• Enhanced user experience through site architecture improvements and navigation optimization.
• Collaborated with content team to create highly relevant and engaging articles for target audience.
• Secured high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites through effective outreach strategies.
• Implemented schema markup to improve search engine understanding of website content and enhance SERP features.
  

Charitable Foundation 5013c
Thoughts Foundation
Officer of the foundation. Organized and participated in charitable events, worked to secure grants and raise funds to benefit charities throughout the United States. Participated in a multitude of charitable projects.

Worked with extremely complex universe consisting of more than 1700 data objects, 37 contexts and more than 60 fact tables. There was a an extensive visual component / creative direction to the role due to the extensive visualizations and dashboards utilized to help users understand and leverage data. We designed and created highly visual reports and dashboards and innovative data components. We followed the Stephen Few methodology closely as a team.

Won a cast excellence award for excellent performance and teamwork.

• Enhanced data-driven decision-making by developing and implementing advanced business intelligence solutions.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather requirements and create tailored BI reports for stakeholders.
• Streamlined data analysis by creating customized visualizations, dashboards, and KPIs using BI tools.
• Increased accuracy of forecasted trends by incorporating predictive analytics into business intelligence solutions.
• Identified patterns and trends in complex datasets, enabling informed strategic decision-making for management.

• Increased brand awareness by developing and implementing innovative marketing campaigns.
• Enhanced customer engagement through the creation of compelling content for website, blog, and social media platforms.
• Improved search engine rankings by implementing effective SEO techniques and optimizing website content.
• Streamlined marketing processes to increase efficiency and reduce costs, resulting in higher ROI for campaigns.

• Digital Agency founder designing and developing solutions for various industries
• Managed clients, projects, and team to deliver products
• Created custom e-commerce driven websites and web applications for multiple clients.

• Responsible for Information Technology, experience, and marketing for a top floral importer
• Carried a dual role as the MIS director and Marketing Director
• Managed projects, ERP implementation, business intelligence, web development, branding, marketing materials, and more.